China has a history of more than five thousand years,     1     makes its culture profound. The     2     (various) of Chinese culture always attracts foreigners to come to visit China. As the carrier of Chinese culture, Chinese costume occupies a place. Chinese costume is very special and its feature is always added in the foreign style. And the classic Chinese costume is cheongsam (旗袍), which is full     3     charm.

Cheongsa m has become     4     representative of traditional Chinese style. Many foreign ladies wear cheongsam to show respect in great occasions. And Chinese beauties dress cheongsam     5     (confident) to show the world the Chinese style in the great competition of Miss World. Cheongsam     6     (make) a lady’s body shape look so     7     (attract), and men are attracted by women’s charm.

Recently, in the fashion week, more and more Chinese features     8     (see). Cheongsam style is favored by a lot of famous designers. They combine their own fashion with cheongsam style,     9     (present) the world with the beauty of female’s body and the charm of Chinese costume style. As more and more foreigners become interested in Chinese culture, they have a strong desire     10     (know) the real China.

When it comes to the Chinese culture, we can’t ignore the importance of tea. Tea culture not only includes tea production, tea brewing, tea art and ceremony, but also     1     (contain) artistic value and traditional Chinese philosophy. It is linked     2     literature, art and religion. In the Tang Dynasty,     3     Buddhists were thinking, they found tea could reduce sleepiness and clear the mind. Therefore tea drinking was promoted and became     4     artistic enjoyment among the public.

Before the Song Dynasty, people used to put tea into a pot     5     (fill)with water and cook it. And then the traditional tea cooking was gradually replaced by the tea competition. In tea tasting, people brought their own tea and water and judged the quality of teas by     6     (check)the color and foam of the water. During the North Song Dynasty, tea     7     (compete)were widespread and brought to Japan. It gradually became the popular “chado” or tea ceremony In Japan.

Drinking tea is not only a     8     (health)habit for people, but also a cultural activity in Chinese daily life. The Chinese believe drinking tea can be helpful     9     (clean) the mind. People who love tea can     10     (easy)find inner peace and happiness.

8 . Each year, the women of Olney, England, and Liberal, Kansas, have an unusual “pancake racing”. This tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday,1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent begins.

It is said that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes. She suddenly heard the church(教堂) bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the door still wearing her apron(围裙) and headscarf and holding her frying pan(锅) with a pancake in it. Olney women continue this tradition more than 500 years later.

In 1950, a person of Liberal wanted his town to join in Olney Pancake Race. He made some phone calls to Olney to set up a friendly competition, and the people of Olney accepted the challenge.

The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They have to flip(抛) the pancake in the air so that it flips and lands back in the pan on the other side. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and announce a winner.

In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney’s festival is an all­day event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a great show, and eating competitions.

Although the women’s race is still the main event, both towns now hold races for boys and girls of all ages. Emma Evans,14, was the winner of her age group’s race in Liberal last year. She wore an apron that her grandma made for her and used a pan passed down to her from her older brother. Her family cheered her on from the sidelines.

“It’s a family tradition, ”Emma says. “And there are only two places in the world that compete against each other in a race like this, so it feels special.”

10 . The story of Santa Claus began hundreds of years earlier. During the fourth century, a Roman Catholic church official called Nicholas of Myra became famous for his many good actions. Nicholas was made a saint after his death and it became common in northern Europe to hold a celebration on December 6th, the day Nicholas died. All kinds of stories were told about saint Nicholas and the Dutch brought one of these stories with them to America. They believed that each year the saint rode a white horse from home to home. He gave presents to children who had been good, and coal or straw to children who had been bad. Other Americans who lived nearby greatly enjoyed the Dutch celebrations. They decided to make saint Nicholas part of their own celebration of Christmas. But he got a new name Santa Claus. It was taken from the Dutch words for Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus. The Dutch imagined Saint Nicholas to be a serious, even frightening person, who could punish as well as give gifts. But in 1822, an American named Clement C. Moore wrote a Christmas poem for his children, the poem called A Visit from St. Nicholas, created a completely new Santa Claus. Dr. Moore described a short, happy, little man who rode in an open sleigh. The sleigh was pulled from house to house by eight white reindeer. At each house Santa delivered gifts by dropping them down the chimney into the fireplace. Dr. Moore’s poem was published in a newspaper in New York, in 1823. It soon became popular all over America and it became the source for the Santa Claus American children still believe in today.

An American artist named Thomas Nast also played a part in creating Santa Claus. Beginning in 1860’s, Mr. Nast drew pictures of Santa Claus for an American publication called Harper’s Weekly. These pictures showed a fat, smiling old man with a red nose and white beard. He was dressed in a red suit with white fur and a black belt. Today more than one hundred years later, that same Santa Claus can be seen everywhere at Christmas time.